Counterbalanced cover for perishable articles.



D.S.GROFO0T.

OOUNTERBALANGED COVER FOR PERISHABLE ARTIOLES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1912.

1,031,052. Patented July 2, 1912.

DAVID S. CROFOOT, 0F OSI-IKOSI-I, WISCONSIN.

GOUNTERBALANCED COVER FOR PERISI-IABLE ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Application filed February 6, 1912. Serial No. 675,827.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID S. Cnoroor, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Oshkosh, in the county of WVinnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counterbalanced Covers for Perishable Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical, sanitary and effective cover for perishable articles, the device being particularly applicable for use in connection with vending food products, such as cheese, butter, lunches or other commodities.

The invention primarily contemplates the employment of a column provided with an overhanging arm for the support of a weighted cable that serves as a counter-balance medium for controlling a dome or cover, which dome is adapted to shield any desired article, the dome being held in suspension by the counterbalance when manually lifted, that access may be had to said article, it being understood that the dome may be made from transparent glass whereby the article thereunder is exposed to view, in which instance said article is protected from dust or dirt, or, in some-instances, a dome of screen-cloth or other substance may be utilized.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation with parts broken away and parts in section of a form of portable cover embodying the features of my invention; Fig. 2, a detailed cross-section of the same, the section being indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a fragmentary view of my preferred form of cable connection to the knob of the dome, parts being in section and parts broken away to illustrate certain structural features; Fig. at, illustrates a detailed side elevation partly in section of another form of overhang arm, wherein the cable guide sheaves are sustained within the same, in which case the cable plays through said arm which is, as shown, hollow, and Fig. 5,

a flat view of a flexible sling used for effecting a connection between the dome and cable.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1 represents a portable base, to which is secured in any suitable manner a collar 2 that, in turn, supports a hollow column 3, which column is secured to the collar by screws 3. The upper open end of the column has fitted therein a neck portion 4 of an overhanging hollow arm 5, which arm, as shown, is de tachably secured to the column by screws in a similar manner to that mentioned in con nection with attaching the lower end of the column to the collar, it being understood, however, that these joints, in some instances, may be effected by screw-thread connections.

The arm 5 directly over the column is provided with a pair of ears 6 having a slot therebetween, the ears serving as bearings for the pin 7, upon which pin is mounted a sheave 8. y A similar sheave 9 is mounted upon a pin 10 between ears that extend from the outer end of the arm as shown, said sheaves serving as guides for a cable 11. One end of the cable extends downwardly into the hollow column and is attached to a sectional weight 12, which weight is loosely mounted in said column and adapted to slide therein, the said weight serving as a counterbalance for a dome 13 that is connected to the outer end of the cable that depends from the guide sheave 9. Where a standard type of glass dome is utilized having the ordinary knob 14, a cable connection therewith is formed by a flexible sling 15 which is preferably composed of leather. This sling is provided with a centrally apertured neck portion that terminates with transverse cars 16, 16, which are provided with a series of eyes. The end of the cable carries a button 17, the shank of which is fitted through the neck aperture of the sling and when it is desired to effect the cable connection with the knob of the dome, the neck portion of the sling is placed over said knob and the ears are then arranged to overlap the knob shank, in which overlapped position they are secured by wire staples 18 or other suitable laces, it being understood that a glove fitting connection with this sling may be effected irrespective of the size of the knob by cutting away the ears of said sling to such proportions that the latter may dropped to the be drawn together tightly by the lacing. It should be understood that, in some instances, where special domes are made with suitable eyed knobs this cable connection may be dispensed with. p

The base, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, is provided'with a revoluble table 19, which table is mounted upon a pin 20 and has aseries of spurs 21 extending from its upper surface for the reception of a cheese or any other article, the spurs serving to hold said cheese or other article rigidly upon the table. To protect the article the dome is position shown in Fig. 1 over the same, its mouth forming an airtight connection with the base and when it is desired to have access to said article the dome can readily be elevated to the desired height, at which height it will be sustained by the counterbalance weight 12.

It is apparent that this device in its portable form as shown is a desirable adjunct to store counters for the purpose of displaying goods, which goods at the same time are kept in a sanitary condition, the cover as a whole being also very desirable in public places where lunches are dispensed, fowls or other meat being placed directly upon the table or in a suitable dish thereon. It will also be observed that by constructing the column with a detachable arm as shown that the device can be readily knocked down and shipped in a compact form, the arm being set in position when the device is assembled and the shield sprung into place between the sheave ears.

As shown in Fig. 1 the cable guides in connection with the arm extend above the same and in order to protect said exposed stretch of the cable I provide a metallic shield 22, which shield as shown, is notched form of overhang .walls of the latter. By

at its ends and fitted over the sheave pins, being sprung into position between the sheave-pin lugs that proj said arm.

Fig. 1 of the drawings illustrates another arm wherein the sheaves 8', 9 areincased within said arm, their pins 7 10, respectively, being journaled in the this construction the vertical stretch of the cable is arranged to travel through the hollow arm and is thus protected and the shield 22 in this case may be dispensed with.

I claim:

A cover comprising a base, a hollow column secured to the base, a detachable overhanging arm fitted to the column having an aperture in alinement with said column, a pair of sheave ears projecting from the outer end of the arm and above the same, a sheave journaled between the ears, a second pair of sheave ears extending upwardly from the arm'in approximate alinement with the hollow column and arm aperture, a sheave mounted between said ears, a counterbalanced weight loosely mounted in the column, a cable connecting the weight and arranged to pass through the column aperture, over each of the sheaves, a dome suspended from the outer end of the cable, and a cable-shield fitted between the sheave ears whereby the vertical stretch of said cable is protected.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Oshkosh in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID S. CROFOOT.

Witnesses GEO. H. MAcKn, E. W. JAoKIsoH.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

ect upwardly from' upper end of the 1 

